Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Roadside Bomb Kills 11 in Badghis Province

The Associated Press is reporting a roadside bomb has killed 11 in northwestern Afghanistan. The Afghan Interior Ministry says “nine of the 11 killed were from one family, including six children and two women. Two policemen were also killed while three people - a 10-year-old child and two other policemen - were wounded.”

"A ministry statement on Tuesday says the bomb went off as a police vehicle was driving by Monday evening in Badghis province's Qadis district. The vehicle was part of a three-vehicle police convoy that had stopped shortly before to pick up a family that needed a ride into town."

Some Background: The violence does not take place in a vacuum.

The Guardian newspaper has a revealing interactive graphic that gives a sense of the 'cycle of violence'. The graphics document and detail US/NATO kill-capture operations throughout Afghanistan. It is based on research by the Afghanistan Analysts Network who went through and analyzed all of the NATO press releases.

Their findings clearly show that the vast majority of people killed or captured in the NATO actions were civilians. Not Taliban leaders and facilitators.

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From the Report | In Their Own Words

From 1 December 2009 to 30 September 2011, ISAF press releases reported a total of 3,157 incidents.

Of that there were 2,365 capture‐or‐kill raids.3,873 individuals were killed. 7,146 detained.

Of that 174 ‘leaders’ were killed and 501 detained. 25 ‘facilitators’ were killed and 423 detained.

The number of ‘leaders’ and ‘facilitators’ killed equals approximately 5% of the total deaths.

The number of ‘leaders’ and ‘facilitators’ detained equals approximately 13% of the total detentions.

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Here are the specific figures for US/NATO attacks in Badghis Province.

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Afghan Perspectives

While teaching in Kabul, Zaher Wahab asked Afghan High School students – boys and girls – to draw pictures of their experience with war. The drawings can be viewed here:Student Art from the Ashes of War

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This blog gathers, categorizes, and evaluates films, videos, books, news features and on-line resources to support advocacy and action to end the war in Afghanistan.

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The American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker non-profit, has had Middle East programs since 1949. In the United States, AFSC advocates for alternatives to the use of military force to resolve conflict.